Oracle agreed to acquire the healthcare-software company Cerner in 2021 for about $28.3 billion.
The agreement was announced in December 2021 and completed in June 2022. Cerner became part of Oracle’s business, bringing electronic health-record software and related healthcare technology into Oracle’s cloud and database portfolio. The deal was Oracle’s largest acquisition at the time.
Cerner was founded in 1979 by Neal Patterson, Cliff Illig, and Paul Gorup. It grew into one of the largest suppliers of electronic health-record systems for hospitals and healthcare organizations. Its software stores and organizes clinical, financial, and operational information used across healthcare settings.
The acquisition is sometimes confused with Oracle’s purchase of PeopleSoft or NetSuite, which were important enterprise-software deals but involved different industries and dates. Cerner specifically connected Oracle with healthcare information systems and clinical technology.